


The Orchard's Flower Bird

by Kodiizee



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, One of them is a friend's character, Original Character(s), they're hopelessly in love okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:46:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25742305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kodiizee/pseuds/Kodiizee
Summary: Vexton grew up playing in his family's orchard, and on one of those fateful days, he finds a bird hiding in the branches of one of the fruit trees.
Kudos: 1





	The Orchard's Flower Bird

**Author's Note:**

> This is a one-shot i did of mine and a friend's characters. Vexton and Cat hold a special place in my heart, even if outside of this fic they hurt me so.

The orchard was always beautiful, the trees were kept in perfect condition, the fruits that grew on them were always the talk of the town. A little brunet boy with caramel eyes always greeted everyone who came through. He would help his parents pick the fruits and get them ready for the families that were coming to buy them; he sometimes would sneak an apple and hide somewhere to eat it. Full of energy, his parents could never stay mad at him, not with that gap toothed smile.

It was a warm sunny day when he first saw the bird. It was only the wings, but they were huge. Probably an eagle! Yet, every time he would try and get closer to the tree and find out, his parents would beckon him away.

Maybe tomorrow, he would say.

"Ma. Can I play in the orchard? I'll stay away from the visitors, and I'll be really careful." Seven years old, and he had already mastered the puppy eyes, a curse really.

"Only if you promise to help me with the garden later." There was a sparkle in his mother's eyes.

"Yes! I'll always help." Vexton absolutely loved the flowers his mom was growing. Hugging her tightly, he bolted out the backdoor of their home.

There was a mission today, and it was to see if that big bird was back once again.

Caramel eyes scanned the branches above as he moved through the orchard, his heart racing in excitement. Finally he was going to be able to figure out what kind of bird had been coming into their orchard.

At the sound of rustling above his head, the young boy paused, head snapping up to catch a glance of a wing disappearing into the green leaves of a peach tree.

With wide eyes, Vexton bounced on the spot, trying to contain himself as to not scare away the pretty bird. The bird just had to be pretty, since the wings he had seen were gorgeous.

As a young boy would, he wanted to be closer, so he started to climb the tree, grabbing onto the lowest branch and making his way up onto it slowly. If he was quiet enough… One branch then to another he climbed higher, and higher. Vexton could almost feel that he was closer to reaching the bird when a snap of a branch filled his ears. With a terrified look filling his eyes, Vexton tried to reach the branch above him--just a little more.

The young boy was falling before he could process it, but when he thought he would hit the ground, the sound of something beating in the leaves shot down towards him, capturing the boy in its arms, breaking his fall with itself.

When Vexton was able to move, he turned his head to stare at a boy, who looked about his age.

With _wings_.

“You’re the bird.”

Just like that, his savior pushed him off, a childish pout set on the blond’s lips. “I’m not a _bird_.”

Falling on his back, Vexton stared up at the blond kid, caramel eyes wide. "I… I mean _yeah_... But… you have…"

"Why did you fall? You could have hurt yourself, you know. And I would have been sad." Golden eyes that stared back did look quite upset.

"What's… your name? Mine's Vexton." Slowly sitting up, with his head cocked to the side, he observed the bird-winged boy before him.

"Cat!" Feathers ruffled as the boy seemed to fluff out those crimson wings. "I really like the fruits you guys have here."

Vexton couldn’t quite grasp in his young boy mind that what we was seeing was real. Maybe he was dreaming. Or he actually did hit his head on the ground. Bird people weren’t real! “Cat? Like the felines?” What an odd name, who named their kid that anyway? Maybe he got thrown into one of his books.

“Yeah! I mean, it…” There was that pout again. “It isn’t weird, is it? Cause I like it.”

A gap-tooth smile stretched across the brunet’s lips. “I like it.”

With fluttering of wings and two children laughing, it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

********************************************************

Cat turned into Vexton’s best friend; one of his only friends, really. The winged boy was full of sunshine to match his hair and eyes, the smile he wore ever present and contagious. The flower boy and his bird, Cat would call them. _His_ bird? Vexton had question the blond on this, wondering why he was his; he didn’t own Cat, that was just silly.

“Because, you’re my friend and I like you a lot.” Cat had grinned, his bubbly energy radiating off him like a heat wave. “So, I am yours and you are mine, Vexxy.”

It was innocent, just childish humor, a child’s mind. A secret friendship. His parents would have taken Cat away from him; winged beings didn’t simply exist, but that was okay.

Cat was his friend, so he wouldn’t tell a soul.

They played a lot in the orchard, free from sight from his parents and the customers that would come through. Vexton would help Cat pick flowers, giggles erupting from the two when they would put them in each others hair. Where the blond had come from, he probably would never know, but it felt like someone had been looking out for the lonely boy and sent him a guardian.

One that stopped coming after six months. Just after Vexton’s eighth birthday, Cat wasn’t hiding in the trees.

Cat wasn’t where they would pick flowers.

The winged boy never came back.

***************************************************

“Sir, I promise you, your wife will love these tulips. They’re fresh from the garden and I have yet to meet a woman who turned down any sort of fresh flowers.” Practiced smile, a light in caramel eyes that just barely shone.

“You know, everyone wonders if you do secretly have a wife. You know woman far too well.” The rough voice of the man holding the flowers mused, a raised brow and a suspicious look in his eyes.

With a tsk, Vexton waved his hand in front of him. “Please, I promise you there is no wife. My mother just raised me to care for the flowers and I always helped around their place.” Tilting his head to the side, he simply gave him a wider smile. “Now, shall we ring you through?”

Vexton hadn’t wanted to get married, too focused on getting his garden center up and running since he turned twenty. It was quite the task to attempt such a big project, but his mother had helped him get off the ground, helped get him his first customers. Now, he had loyal returning customers and a rumor about him being married. At twenty six, he wasn’t holding his breath. Vexton was happier, if he was being honest, with just him and the garden. After his parents passing a few years ago, his place of work had become his life. He put everything into keeping it going, and it had been paying off.

Once he ushered the man out after paying, Vexton turned the sign on the entrance to ‘Back in 30’, locking the door before making his way to the back of the main building. The orchard just out back was much smaller, nothing compared to the acres his family owned; the greenhouses were where the money came from. Gentle fingers danced over the branches of the nursery trees as he walked along the gravel path towards the first green house.

Tilting his head a little at the sight of the door slightly opened, he wondered if he forgot to shut it when he’d gone in a few hours ago. It wouldn’t surprise him, he’d been swamped the moment he’d opened. Tapping his fingers against the door, he pushed it open slowly, caramel eyes looking around. He’d been growing different types of flowers in this one, kind of experimenting on their habits, seeing if he could sell different types freshly picked.

“You know, I've always liked roses. Their thorns protect them from predators, but they are really beautiful.”

The unknown voice caused him to jump, eyes snapping to a man who was in the far corner. A peach colored rose was in his hands, the petals just under his nose as he stared down at it with a sort of sad smile on his lips. “Colored like a peach, just like that tree.” Golden eyes met caramel ones, but merely for a moment.

Those caramel eyes slowly changed their target, widening when he noticed the bright red wings that were fanning out behind the blond. Beautiful crimson wings that used to be smaller, somewhat messy with twigs and dirt. Crimson wings and a mop of blond hair that made Vexton’s heart skip a beat. It couldn’t be.

“...Cat?”

An infectious smile brought more light to the room, though the look in those golden hues were still so sad. “One and only, Vexxy.” Heart skipped a beat at the nickname, lips parting in lost words. “You grew up. You look even prettier now.” Slowly, the blond was walking towards him, shy movements.

“You…” Vexton wanted to think he was dreaming. This was crazy. Cat was… “You disappeared. You never said goodbye. I thought…” Lips pressed together, his mind running a mile a minute. Cat was here, in his greenhouse. Cat was _here_. “You’re here.” It came out soft and in a whisper, caramel eyes filling with many different emotions all at once.

Now, the blond stood before him, rose in hand, watching him with careful eyes before they softened, a smooth smile filling his face. “Yeah. Sorry, Vexxy.” Gentle fingers reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind his ear. “A lot of things happened.”

“19 years.”

“Mhm.” Teeth clamped around the stem of the rose, thorns stabbing into the bottom lip of the blond, those golden hues not even flinching once.

“Cat… you’re… uh.” Vexton was laughing a bit, looking at him with the most concerned, yet amused expression.

Yet, the winged man didn’t speak, he simply tucked the peach colored rose carefully in Vexton’s hair, utter pride lighting up his eyes. “Perfect.” Blood dripped from his lip, his tongue swiping over the cuts.

Blinking, Vexton kept himself fixated on the blond before him. Did he not care that he had just cut open his lip? Wait… He just… “Why did you…?”

“You’re as beautiful as a rose.” Tilting his head to the side, he gave that childish smile that Vexton had forgotten; a smile that caused the brunet’s heart to skip a beat. “My peachy rose.”

As if on instinct, as if it was just second nature for him, Vexton reached an arm out, fingers brushing over Cat’s cheek, his own blushing at how the man seemed to lean into his touch, eyes closing. Grazing those fingers over his jaw and back, thumb brushing over his chin, tilting it up just a smidge.

“You know, if you’re going to kiss me just…”

Vexton did. Lips brushing over thorn cut lips, capturing them in a soft embrace. Beyond the rust, beyond the slamming of his heart against his chest, he projected everything he’d been feeling in these years into the kiss, a tear rolling down his cheek, mixing into the saliva being shared.

At this, Cat had pulled back, forehead resting against his, breathing slowly. “I’m sorry, Vexton. I should have…”

Tightly, the emotional brunet wrapped his arms around the blond, fingers brushing over feathers and clinging to him like his life was depending on it. “Just don’t leave me again, Feathers. My heart won’t be able to take it if you leave me again.” With a broken voice, tears started to soak into the avian’s shirt at his shoulder as Vexton shook. “Please.”

There was a gentle movement of a hand over his spine, rubbing soothing circles through the fabric of the shirt. “I won’t, Vex. I’m here to stay, I promise.” With a kiss to the soft brunet locks by his head, Cat held him, whispering comforting words into his ear.

The flower boy wouldn’t be alone anymore; his bird had come home at last.


End file.
